The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-08-02
THE conEEoERAcYs PRESIDENT.
Reagan's Reply to Davis's Anti. Pro-
hibltion Epistle.

FORT WORTH, Tex, Aug. LIN his reply
to Jefferson Davis's letter read at the Anti
Prohibition State barbecue here last week,
Senator John Fl. Reagan says:
II write not to complain, but to express
my surprise and sorrow on account of the
letter you wrote our good friend Gov. Lub-
beck In opposition to the adoption of the pro-
posed amendment to the State constitution
to prohibit the manufacture, sale and ex-
change of intoxicating liquors excepting for
mechanical, scientific and sacramental pur-
poses. Texas has never been so profound
~ .stlrred up on question before within
my memory"
partisan the senator says: 'sThe amend
ment is sustained by many of the ablest,
best and most trusted Democrats in the
State, such as Ex-senator Maxey, Mr.. Gull
berson, Mr.. Lanham and Judge Hare Dem
ocratic members-elect to Congress, and Col
Miller, Democratic member of the last
Congress. 1t is sustained by two-thirds of
the newspapers of Texas, by not less than
nineteen-twentieths of the 800 or 400 preach
ers OF Texas, by probably ninety-nine in
every leo of the women of the state, and it
VIII IN my opinions be voted for by more
than 100000 white Democrats of the State
am sure that tens Of thousands
of your truest and best friends are grieved
and panied by your letter We believed we
could carry the State against the combined
whiskey and beer, the liquor dealers asso-
Citations Of st. Louis, Chicago, Louisville,
Cincinnati, New York, Philadelphia and
elsewhere and against the use of the vast
sums OF money they have sent to Texas to
employ and pay speakers, suborn the news
papers and corrupt the ballot and debauch
our people. We believed we could carry it
against the saloon-keepers, professional pol
iticians and a number of our good men like
our old friend Gov. Lubbock, but the tails
NJ l. L. -.
paraded against prohibition. and your letter
is being read and applauded by every saloon
keeper and dram drinker in Texas today 1t
will cost a cause which many of us deem of
the greatest Importance many thousands of
votes, and we fear may defeat the amend
ment and give the Endorsement of the people
to the liquor traffic with the griefs, sorrow
and crimes which 60 with it, You object to
this amendment because the world is gov
erned too much"
= The senator proceeds at length to answer
Davis's Personal Liberty" argument, and
closed after assuring the Ex-President of the
Confederacy of his friendship as follows:
"A sense of public duty compels me- re-
gretfully indeed, to advise you that shall
authorize the publication of this letter in
yindication to this limited extent of my own
views, and of the views of the thousands of
good people of Texas, who think i do on
this question"
What Davis Did at Campmeeting.
NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 1.-During the
Methodist campmeeting on the Mississippi
Gulf coast last week Mr. jefferson Davis
was present one day, upon which occasion
Mrs. Sallle +. Chaplin. of South Carolina, an
eloquent and effective worker of the Wom-
ems Christian Temperance Union, made an
address on the temperance question. Her
discourse was an earnest and eloquent pro-
test against intempefance, the evils of which
she made clearly manifest. Mr.. Davis lis
tened attentively to the address, and later
expressed to Mrs. Chaplin his approval of
its arguments. Mrs. Chaplin thereupon re-
gu ested Mr.. Davis to enter his name in her
book which he declined to do, stating that it
was probable that, were the question of a
remedy for the existing evils discussed, they
might disagree.
Mrs. Chaplin then asked Mr.. Davis to ac-
cept the white ribbon badge which she
wore, and this he also in kind and pleas
ant manner expressed disinclination to do.
She next requested Mr.. Davis to take the
badge to Mrs. Davis, of whose views on the
temperance question she was informed. Nat
urally Mr.. DAVIS could not refuse to execute
TINS commission, and Mrs. Chaplin pinned
her badge upon his coat. Mr.. Davis was
leaving for home and wore the white ribbon
to Beauvoir, where it was of course deliv-
cred to Mrs. Davis. Out of these facts have
grown and spread reports that Mr.. Davis
nad avowed at the camp ground prohibition
sentiments, and even that he had accepted
the society badge from Mrs. Chaplin and had
enrolled himself among its members.